Words
by Nikitangel
Summary: A series of 100-word drabbles from Faith's POV.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or settings, I'm just having fun.  
  
This is a series of ~100-word drabbles from Faith's POV. They have been culled from the ImpulseDriven community on LiveJournal. The two on this intro page are an exception, the results of a challenge to use clichéd epithets and make them into meaningful drabble.  
  
The rest of the drabbles in this series are results of the Two-Minute Challenge. I chose a character beforehand and was given a word. I then immediately had to write whatever came to mind in the following two minutes. Except for spelling and typographical errors, no changes have been made. I highly recommend this exercise for other writers - it's been very illuminating to me.  
  
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The (formerly) Evil Slayer   
  
She'd heard him talking to the girls. He made it into some big drama - something about Vulcans? - always lookin' over his shoulder while he was talking. Like she couldn't hear every word they said about her.   
  
She could hear the pause when he said it - "The (formerly) Evil Slayer." Like it was some little detail, some extra word thrown on there. Like it wasn't her entire life they were gossiping about.   
  
"She was EVIL. Probably not anymore, but she was," the boy insists to the newbies.   
  
Evil was easy. (Formerly) Evil is a lot harder.  
  
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The Psychotic Slayer  
  
She hates it when they call it that.  
  
the psychotic slayer  
  
Sometimes she speaks up, but mostly she keeps to the shadows, smirking at their cluelessness. Mayor wants them watched, she'll watch.  
  
homicidal lunatic  
  
She's not crazy. She knows crazy, and this isn't it.  
  
psychopathic super bitch  
  
They throw out all those labels, like if they say she's pyschotic, then they'll understand her and she's not so scary.  
  
psycho-killer  
  
Because it's okay to kill a psycho, it's okay to treat her like shit.  
  
criminally insane  
  
They couldn't possibly imagine that she's anything but a monster because it messes with their neat little everything-in-its-place world.  
  
raving psychotic  
  
Whatever. They can call her whatever they want. Doesn't change what's going to happen come Graduation Day.  
  
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A/N: Except for the title, all of these phrases were used on the show to describe Faith at one time or another 


	2. Ink

Ink  
  
The ink is dark red and throws her for a minute. She sits staring at the page, unable to move, unable to leave that moment, separate from now. She knows they're staring at her and she screams at herself to look up, be cool, forget it, move on, but she sits transfixed by the dark red ink, slowly smearing across the page   
  
Xander reaches over to pick up the glass of water, that concerned look in his eyebrows. He moves to wipe off the paper but she stops him automatically, a hand shooting out to protect the mess of dark red, connecting her to the past. 


	3. Jump

Jump  
  
She's stronger than them, she knows that. She tries to tone it down a little, keep back, quit showing off. Somehow, it's not as fun as it used to be. Her clothes are less, her personality is less, she's less "Faith". She can't figure out what to fill in those spaces with. She knows who she's not anymore, but now...  
  
The girls are all leaping up now, each one trying to outdo the other. They look so young. She's finally quit, stepping back from the training mat. It's just not in her right now. One of them finally manages to jump over the wall and the rest cheer or sneer. Faith tries to find it in herself to smile. 


	4. Safe

Safe Safe. They always used the word like it was such a little thing. "This will be safe here." "It's safe to say that.." None of their lives had ever depended on the real meaning of that word. None of them had ever been told it was "safe" to stay with someone and to shut up and be good. Not that she'd ever bring it up. Like they didn't feel sorry enough for her already, that's all she needed. "Poor Faith, she was abused, that explains how fucked up she is." Whatever. They were learning now, though. Learning how little "safe" means when applied to house full of Slayers and evil-fighters slowly being hunted by a Big Bad Evil that doesn't even touch you. Safe. At least she'd been prepared for it. 


	5. Alone

Alone  
  
Alone. You'd think she'd know the word by heart now. What's more alone than her life? Prison, for God's sake. Alone professionally.  
  
But not really. You could always hear the girls in the next cage over, your roommate rolling over in her bunk, the warden's shoes along the walkway. She was alone surrounded by people every minute of the day.  
  
Now, though, all these people around her, it was too real. She wasn't ready yet, she wasn't ready for Not Alone. So she smiled and closed her ears to the whispers and rolled over in her sleeping bag and wished for Alone. 


End file.
